research paper topics – Citations by Questiahttp://blog.questia.com
Research paper tips from QuestiaWed, 07 Dec 2016 17:21:20 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.5.4New faces in the senate: Women’s studies and American history research paper topicshttp://blog.questia.com/2016/11/new-faces-in-the-senate-womens-studies-and-american-history-research-paper-topics/
http://blog.questia.com/2016/11/new-faces-in-the-senate-womens-studies-and-american-history-research-paper-topics/#respondMon, 28 Nov 2016 17:28:20 +0000http://blog.questia.com/?p=45859If you are looking for research paper topics in your women’s studies or American history classes, it’s worth noting that two women made history in their senate races in the 2016 election. Kamala Harris (D) of California became the first South Asian-American to serve in the Senate (as well as the second black woman to be a senator) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D) of Nevada became the first Latina to secure a Senate seat.

Kamala Harris, the first Southeast Asian-American to be elected to the Senate. (Credit: LA Weekly)

There have been women in the senate since shortly after the passing of the Nineteenth Amendment, and looking at the history of how those women have served, as well as the first woman to be a senator and first woman elected, provides a historical context for the women who serve today.

Harris and Masto in the 2016 election

The 2016 election broke the current record of women in the U. S. Senate. The previous record, held by the (current) 114th Congress was 20 female senators. Beginning when the 115th Congress is sworn in, there will be 21. Among those women are not only Harris and Masto, but Tammy Duckworth (D, Illinois), the first Thailand-born senator, whose American father descends from veterans of the American Revolution.

Harris already had a number of “firsts” under her belt. As Bill Chappell reported for NPR, as hosted in “Women Record Several ‘Firsts’ With Wins In U.S. Senate, Elsewhere” on the Oregon Public Broadcasting Website, November 9, 2016, “she was already California’s first woman, African-American, and South Asian-American to be attorney general.” She won her seat over fellow Democrat Rep. Loretta Sanchez to replace outgoing Sen. Barbara Boxer (D). Harris surged ahead in the polls earlier in the race, making her win unsurprising. Masto’s race was much tighter; she won 49 percent of the vote against Republican Joe Heck, who received 44 percent. She will be replacing outgoing Senate Minority Leader Larry Reid (D).

History’s U. S. Senators

The first woman to serve in the U. S. Senate was Rebecca Latimer Felton (D-GA), who was appointed to serve in the Senate for a single day in 1922, two years after women won the right to vote. That same year, Edna Mae Nolan (R-CA) was elected to the House of Representatives, becoming “the first widow to be elected to replace her husband in the House,” according to Lisa Solowiej and Thomas L. Brunell in their September 2003 Political Research Quarterly article “The Entrance of Women to the U.S. Congress: The Widow Effect.” Likewise, the first elected woman Senator was widow Hattie Caraway (D-AK), who replaced her husband in 1931 by appointment and won her race in 1932. Caraway continued to serve in the senate for fourteen years, through several elections—four years longer than her husband had held the seat.

Solowiej and Brunell posited that widows have held an advantage in breaking through the gender-barriers of the U.S. Senate. Sometimes, this was because it was expected they would not serve long; the party scrambling to find a candidate to replace a senator who had died in office would be able to use the widow as a placeholder until they found a more suitable candidate. However, senators like Caraway show that women might have broken through the barrier due to their widowhood, but come into their own after being elected.

The Rutgers Center for American Women and Politics offered an infographic, “Women in the U.S. Senate 2016,” with plenty of research paper topic ideas about women in the U.S. Senate, including these other firsts:

Margaret Chase Smith (R-ME) was the first woman to be elected to the Senate without previously having been appointed in 1948.

Carol Moseley Braun (D-IL) was the first woman of color to be elected to the Senate in 1992.

Mazie Hirono (D-HI) was the first woman of Asian/Pacific Islander descent (and the second woman of color) to be elected to the Senate in 2012.

What other ideas would make interesting research paper topics about women in the U. S. Senate? Let us know in the comments.

]]>http://blog.questia.com/2016/11/new-faces-in-the-senate-womens-studies-and-american-history-research-paper-topics/feed/0Research paper topics: Washington D.C. votes for statehoodhttp://blog.questia.com/2016/11/research-paper-topics-washington-d-c-votes-for-statehood/
http://blog.questia.com/2016/11/research-paper-topics-washington-d-c-votes-for-statehood/#commentsWed, 23 Nov 2016 17:22:10 +0000http://blog.questia.com/?p=45781In the United States 2016 election, an overwhelming majority of residents of Washington D.C. voted for the District to become the 51st state. But the path to statehood has long been fraught for both Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico, another U.S. region that has only non-voting representatives in the U.S. House.

What are the arguments both for and against statehood for these regions, and what are the stumbling blocks Washington D.C. will face with so many of its voters seeking representation? The history of these issues and their current status could make interesting research paper topics in your American history or politics course.

Taxation without representation in Washington D.C.

The slogan “no taxation without representation” is as old as the thirteen colonies—and it currently appears on many of the license plates of drivers who are registered in Washington D.C. The 2015 census lists Washington D.C.’s population at 672,228 residents, who pay federal taxes and have electoral votes, but have no representation in the House or Senate. The issue of statehood is not a new one for the district, which has had the statehood issue on the ballot many times before; the 2016 vote is a “dramatic increase over the 1982 vote” on the same issue, according to D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser in an interview quoted in “D.C. Votes Overwhelmingly For Statehood Referendum, Future Remains Uncertain,” posted on the WAMU 88.5 website November 9, 2016. The 2016 election results were estimated at 86% of the population voting for statehood.

But the struggle to come is getting the motion through Congress. Republican members of Congress have long opposed Washington D.C.’s bid for statehood, including in an effort where a congressional bill was brought to the floor. And while Democrats frequently support the movement, it is not seen as a high priority for the party. With a Republican controlled Congress voted into office during the 2016 Election, the bid continues to seem far off.

What reasons might there be for continuing to oppose the statehood initiative? According to an October 1990 article by Laura B. Randolph in Ebony, “What D.C. Statehood Would Mean to Black America,” the movement is opposed due to issues of race. Speaking of the statehood of Alaska and Hawaii, the last two states added into the United States, the populations of those two states are “different from the district’s in a fundamental way: they are not primarily Black.” Randolph went on to say, “If the district becomes a state, it would be entitled to elect two senators—senators who would almost certainly be Black and Democratic. And when you talk about giving Black people that kind of power at that level, simple solutions become very complex, very fast.”

Opponents are unlikely to state that objection, however. Instead, often cited objections to statehood include:

The federal government would become dependent upon the new state for utilities and public services such as snow removal and sewers, as well as police and fire.

Maryland would have to consent to the statehood, as the land on which D.C. is located was originally ceded from Maryland.

Congress does not have the authority to change the size of the District. This argument is debatable, as the District has been resized by previous Congresses.

It would require a repeal of the 23rd Amendment, which gives residents of the District of Columbia 3 Electoral College votes. If the District were limited to the White House and other Federal properties, rather than the territory that currently encompasses Washington, D.C., it could give the current president and spouse 3 electoral votes to themselves unless the 23rd Amendment was repealed.

Some opponents to statehood for Washington, D.C. propose an alternative: that D.C. should be taken back into Maryland to provide its residents with representation in the House and Senate. How much weight these arguments have, as well as other objections to the movement, could make interesting research paper topics.

Puerto Rico and other statehood movements

Unlike the residents of Washington, D.C., Puerto Ricans do not have representation in the Electoral College. In the 2016 election, Puerto Rican voters elected Ricardo Rosello of the New Progressive Party to the governorship with 42 percent of the vote. Rosello has long been a supporter of Puerto Rico’s bid for statehood. According to an Associate Press article “Ardent statehood supporter wins Puerto Rico’s governorship,” posted on Fox News on November 8, 2016, Rosello has argued that the lack of statehood and electoral college representation “deprives 3.5 million people of their full rights.” Puerto Ricans were made American citizens in 1917.

Do you think Washington D.C. or Puerto Rico should become the 51st state? Tell us in the comments.

]]>http://blog.questia.com/2016/11/research-paper-topics-washington-d-c-votes-for-statehood/feed/1Oromo protests in Ethiopia as your research topichttp://blog.questia.com/2016/11/oromo-protests-in-ethiopia-as-your-research-topic/
http://blog.questia.com/2016/11/oromo-protests-in-ethiopia-as-your-research-topic/#respondMon, 07 Nov 2016 17:21:27 +0000http://blog.questia.com/?p=45693Ethiopia has been a stable Western ally in an area often seeded with unrest. But while it has shown economic advances in recent years, the nation has not progressed in terms of human rights issues, particularly when it comes to freedom of speech. In the face of continued oppression of cultural groups, including the Oromo people—the most populous and least powerful ethnic group in Ethiopia—many of the nation’s young people, including Olympic runner Feyisa Lilesa, have protested the government.

They have been met with violence, and the unrest is causing the Ethiopian government to declare a state of emergency. For a research paper topic on current events or international relations, here is some of what you need to know about Ethiopia.

Ethiopia’s economy and lack of democracy

Ethiopia is the second most populous nation in Africa, and it has been one of the most stable nations in its region. United States military and intelligence departments work closely with Ethiopians to monitor and fight terrorist threats in the area. Because of Western interest and Western aid, Ethiopia’s economy is expanding.

But the economic benefits aren’t helping the entire nation. Members of the Oromo and Amharas ethnic groups maintain that the Tigrayan elite, who make up only a small portion of the population, consolidate their power and silence dissidents. “If you suffocate people and they don’t have any other option but to protest, it breaks out,” university lecturer Seyoum Teshome told Jeffrey Gettleman of the International New York Times in “Protests Destabilize Ethiopia, a Steady U.S. Ally; Governing Party’s Power and Issues Over Land Use Are Creating Rare Unrest,” posted August 13, 2016. “The whole youth is protesting,” Teshome continued. “A generation is protesting.”

What has heightened the protests now? Gettleman posited three main points:

More Ethiopians use smartphones, making it harder for the Ethiopian government to completely cut off their connections to social media, especially Facebook and Twitter (though it tries). Smartphone users access Internet proxies to mask their location and circumvent the government’s social media blockages in order to organize protests.

The Oromos and Amharas, despite having previously been at odds (the Amharas are Christians from a highland region, while the Oromos are typically Muslims from the lowland regions), have come together against the Tigrayan leadership.

When former Prime Minister Meles Zenawi died, the Ethiopian government lost their most savvy leader. Meles smoothed over conflicts before they could start and exercised diplomatic and military expertise. Current Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn not only lacks those skills, he doesn’t have the support from his government that Meles had.

Many outside of Ethiopia or the Ethiopian diaspora remained unaware of the brewing conflict until it was brought to international attention by Olympic runner Feyisa Lilesa, who raised his arms, crossed above his head after he finished the Olympic marathon, winning the silver medal. The symbol was one of solidarity with his fellow Oromo, and is seen at protests throughout the nation. In interviews Lilesa explained that at peaceful protests, the government has responded with undue force. “In the last nine months, more than 1,000 people died. And others charged with treason,” Lilesa was quoted as saying in Ibrahim Hirsi’s August 25, 2016, Minnesota Post article “Why an Olympic runner’s simple gesture meant so much in Minnesota.” Lilesa continued, “It’s a very dangerous situation among Oromo people in Ethiopia.” So dangerous, in fact, that Lilesa remained in Brazil after the Olympics, fearing the repercussions of his statements if he returned home.

Oromo state of emergency

Violence has built over the past several months, and on October 2, 2016, a protest at a religious festival turned into a stampede. Security forces gassed and opened fire on protesters, sending them into a deadly stampede with at least 55 dead. Further violence built in response as protesters clashed with police in one fifth of the Oromo-populated districts of the nation, leading Prime Minister Desalegn to declare a six month state of emergency on October 9. According to Ethiosports reporter Rahel Samuel in “State of Emergency grants Prime Minister Desalegn sweeping powers,” posted October 10, 2016, the decree allows the government:

To close down mass media

To stop groups from assembling

To enforce curfew

To block roads, public places and evacuate areas as deemed necessary

“To use proportionate, force necessary for the implementation of the state of emergency decree.”

For a nation already criticized by civil rights organizations for its limitations on free speech, this move brings further criticism. Worse, rather than end the violence, this type of suppression—declared to protect citizens—may create the opposite response. An analysis of the decree or a look at the history of the nation’s relations with the West could be interesting research paper topics for your international studies course.

What do you think the consequences of unrest in Ethiopia could mean for that nation and its allies? Speculate in the comments.

]]>http://blog.questia.com/2016/11/oromo-protests-in-ethiopia-as-your-research-topic/feed/0Social psychology research paper topics on race, gender and self-perceptionhttp://blog.questia.com/2016/10/social-psychology-research-paper-topics-on-race-gender-and-self-perception/
http://blog.questia.com/2016/10/social-psychology-research-paper-topics-on-race-gender-and-self-perception/#respondMon, 31 Oct 2016 15:13:51 +0000http://blog.questia.com/?p=45643Psychology studies include the branch of social psychology, which blends psychology and sociology to understand human interaction, how perception is conceived through others, and social identity based on culture, race and gender.

Here are some research paper topics in social psychology dealing with racial profiling, gender identity and self-perception theory.

Racial and ethnic profiling

A good term paper idea is to discuss the psychology in racial and ethnic profiling. Today, “stop-and-frisk” is a controversial policy. It says that police can stop anyone they think looks suspicious to potentially stop a crime before it happens. But it has been proven to be ineffectual, and police disproportionately target minorities. This type of policy is ripe for racial and ethnic profiling, assuming that people of a certain race or skin color are apt to commit more crimes.

The psychology of racial profiling runs deep within American culture. People see someone’s race and immediately make assumptions based on culture, history, politics, religion and many other factors. In his 2013 book, Seeing Race in Modern America, Matthew Pratt Guterl wrote: “We narrowly focus on what we assume is self-evident and obvious: the skin color divide between black and white. We set aside the smaller, easily synthesized ‘facts’ that make the narrower focus possible. And in doing so, we utterly fail to properly understand exactly how race gets seen, how it is made, and how it has changed—and not changed—over time.”

Gender identity

The psychological aspects of gender identity would make a good research paper topic. Many people can name at least one transgender person, such as Caitlyn Jenner, Chelsea Manning or Chaz Bono. The American Psychological Association explains that “Transgender is an umbrella term used to describe people whose gender identity (sense of themselves as male or female) or gender expression differs from socially constructed norms associated with their birth sex.”

Writing in “Aspects of Gender Identity Development: Searching for an Explanation in the Brain,” at the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development at New York University, Elizabeth Glaeser explained, “Psychologists consider some individual characteristics to be fixed while others are understood as flexible, such as preferences and intellectual ability… A small percentage of our population feels that their ‘brain’ is one gender while their ‘body’ is another.” Glaeser added, “Past research has demonstrated that when GID [Gender Identity Disorder] is experienced in childhood, it has been correlated with low self-esteem and has been disruptive of healthy identity development (Hepp et al., 2005)…. The lack of understanding about the true causes and considerations involved in GID only leaves room for discriminatory, stereotyped classification of individuals developing gender identities.”

Self-perception theory

For your social psychology class, you could write about self-perception theory. In 1972, social psychologist Daryl Bem formalized an explanation of how people acquire attitudes and traits. He said they draw inferences about what kind of person they are by observing their own behavior. For example, if you return a lost wallet then you’re an honest person. But the inference is not so linear. In “We Are What We Do,” posted in Psychology Today, January 7, 2012, Timothy D. Wilson, Ph.D., explained, “Our behavior is shaped by subtle pressures around us, but we fail to recognize those pressures. As a result, we mistakenly believe that our behavior emanated from some inner disposition. Perhaps we aren’t particularly trustworthy and instead returned the wallet in order to impress the people around us.”

What are other ways we perceive ourselves and those around us? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.

]]>http://blog.questia.com/2016/10/social-psychology-research-paper-topics-on-race-gender-and-self-perception/feed/0Research paper topics: Hurricane Matthew hits Haiti, Floridahttp://blog.questia.com/2016/10/research-paper-topics-hurricane-matthew-hits-haiti-florida/
http://blog.questia.com/2016/10/research-paper-topics-hurricane-matthew-hits-haiti-florida/#respondFri, 21 Oct 2016 16:29:31 +0000http://blog.questia.com/?p=45579On Sunday, October 9, President Obama signed a disaster declaration for the state of Florida, clearing up federal funds to aid in cleanup and recovery efforts for the state. Hurricane Matthew battered the state over the weekend, and people evacuated coastal areas en masse. But though there was certainly damage in Florida, Haiti took the worst beating from the storm.

With over 400 deaths and massive damage, many Internet users were surprised at the lack of response from social media outlets such as Facebook, which has previously provided flag filters for profile pictures as a show of solidarity to areas affected by natural disasters or attacks. Consider research paper topics on disaster preparedness, natural disaster response or what some users have considered a lack of concern social media shows for poorer, non-white nations in distress.

Hurricane Matthew: Disaster preparedness

“Hurricane Matthew’s effects will be felt across the Caribbean and into the US, but with a lack of resources, storm mitigation strategies, and information distribution, no communities will feel those effects more than poor communities both at home and abroad,” wrote Rowena Lindsay in her Christian Science Monitor article, “Hurricane Matthew: Strongest Hurricane to Hit Haiti in a Generation,” posted October 5, 2016. Lindsay noted that poor communities in remote areas struggle to evacuate when dangerous natural disasters approach. Worse, after a storm, poor communities struggle more with recovery.

Florida held mass evacuations, with rerouted traffic to enable residents to get clear of the most dangerous areas. Haiti also held some evacuations, but due to the damage from the 2010 earthquake and subsequent damage from Hurricane Sandy in 2012, much of the necessary infrastructure for evacuations and communication is still not in place.

In Florida, the storm caused 600,000 people to lose power. More than 22,000 people were housed in state provided shelters during the storm. In Haiti, some of the hardest hit areas included the town of Jeremie, in which 80% of the buildings were destroyed.

In Florida, there has been a tremendous loss of electricity, and some homes may have been destroyed. In Florida, over 400 people were killed by the storm, and three people were reported infected with cholera as a result of the storm damage as of Howe’s article.

President Obama communicated with Florida Governor Rick Scott and other governors in southeastern states before the hurricane to discuss disaster preparedness. He released federal funds to Florida in two disaster declarations: one before, and one after the storm. In Haiti, much of the aid is coming from NGOs, as the government is responding slowly, leaving many to fend for themselves.

Facebook’s lack of concern

Given the tremendous amount of damage to Haiti, and its continual beating by natural disasters since 2010, why hasn’t Facebook released a flag filter as a show of support? According to a popularly reposted opinion article in Ebony by Neffer Kerr, “So… Where’s the ‘Pray for Haiti’ Facebook Filter?” published October 6, 2016, it has everything to do with race. “Let’s talk facts for a minute. Between 1791 and 1804, Haitian slaves rose up and rebelled. They used their belief systems and religion as motivation and solidarity to overthrow the French. This was the only successful slave revolt and ever since then, they have been treated like the scourge of the world,” Kerr wrote.

The idea of Haiti being cursed goes back as far as Thomas Jefferson, who was concerned that the successful slave revolt would negatively impact the American economy. That superstition was reinforced by an image of Hurricane Matthew over Haiti that Weather Channel Senior Meteorologist Stu Ostro promoted as having the appearance of a skull. Looking into the negative stereotypes about Haiti that persist in the media, especially in light of the damage the nation has taken from Hurricane Matthew and other storms, or analyzing how the lack of infrastructure makes disaster response difficult for governments or NGOs would make interesting research paper topics.

What do you think could be done to improve natural disaster response in Haiti? Tell us in the comments.

]]>http://blog.questia.com/2016/10/research-paper-topics-hurricane-matthew-hits-haiti-florida/feed/0Research topic: Netflix’s Marvel’s Luke Cage explores timely social issueshttp://blog.questia.com/2016/10/research-topic-netflixs-marvels-luke-cage-explores-timely-social-issues/
http://blog.questia.com/2016/10/research-topic-netflixs-marvels-luke-cage-explores-timely-social-issues/#respondWed, 12 Oct 2016 16:24:28 +0000http://blog.questia.com/?p=45495The symbolism in Marvel’s Luke Cage, the newest of its Netflix superhero series, is not terribly subtle: “Having Luke Cage wandering around, wearing a hoodie as an act of defiance, reading Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man feels a bit on the nose,” noted Daniel Fienberg in a review for The Hollywood Reporter, “‘Marvel’s Luke Cage’: TV Review,” posted September 27, 2016. But the pointed commentary and the show’s willingness to engage with social issues may be one of its strengths. It’s the first television show to center on a black superhero, based on a character created during the Blaxploitation craze of the 1970s.

That Luke Cage, sometimes known as Power Man, who is bulletproof, is increasingly relevant in an age of #BlackLivesMatter and increased media coverage of the shootings of unarmed black men. But that social consciousness is only one of the aspects of Marvel’s Luke Cage that would make an interesting research paper topic in your film and television studies or African American studies classes. It’s also a great source for an extracurricular reading list.

Luke Cage in the comics

According to Evan Narcisse in Kotaku.com article, “The Black Superhero Who Helped Me Navigate a White World,” posted February 22, 2016, Luke Cage “was a character churned out to cash in on the 1970s blaxploitation craze and starred in a long-running series often populated with a wince-inducing parade of jive-talking stereotypes.” But somewhere in the run of the Power Man and Iron Fist comic series, in which Luke Cage teamed up with super-powered kung fu expert Danny Rand, that wince-inducing parade shifted, and the setting became more grounded in reality. After one particular scene in which Luke Cage is thinking to himself about one aspect of his blackness, a young Narcisse realized “If Luke Cage is saying stuff like that, then, then… there’s gotta be black people working on this book.”

And there were. While the wrongly convicted ex-con Cage, who had gotten his powers of super strength and bulletproof skin in a prison experiment, was created with plenty of stereotypes backing him, the character grew to be much deeper. For Narcisse and other readers, it was Cage’s strength of identity, and his unwillingness to surrender to a system that excluded him, that gave him lasting appeal.

Portrayal of Luke Cage in television

The Netflix version of Luke Cage retains that strength of character, playing a reluctant superhero in a world that’s perpetually unjust. Like the original Cage, the Netflix incarnation is an ex-con, but he’s also an ex-cop. The idea of his bulletproof nature isn’t just related to his skin: there’s an emphasis that his self-acceptance—that strength of identity—makes him “bulletproof” to the corruption around him.

Marvel’s Luke Cage features four principal characters: Luke Cage, who finds work at the neighborhood barbershop (mentored by its owner, Pop) and as a dishwasher at Harlem’s Paradise nightclub; the nightclub’s mobster owner Cornell “Cottonmouth” Stokes; Cottonmouth’s equally-shady politician cousin Mariah Dillard; and Misty Knight, a cop who is continually pressured not to serve justice and her community, but to follow leads that do more to make the department look good. Cottonmouth and Mariah serve as the principle antagonists for the first half of the series, but even as villains, they’re given complex motivations and background that explains why they believe the way they do. They’re doing what they think is best for Harlem—but not what fits in with Cage’s view of justice.

Most of what critics have considered the show’s best work is at its most grounded in a very real Harlem. “It’s a series infused by the conversations we’re having about race and gender and American urban space in 2016,” wrote Fienberg. Rob Lowman of Daily News pointed out in his article, “How Netflix’s Black Superhero Series ‘Marvel’s Luke Cage’ Came to Be,” published September 27, 2016, “In this era of the Trayvon Martin killing, [Cage’s hoodie] becomes a rebuke to the idea that a black man in a hoodie is to be feared.”

Literary references to Luke Cage

Critics have also noted that the show is smart, particularly in its use of music and literary references. “In one scene, there’s a discussion about the relative merits of Donald Goines’ Kenyatta book series … versus Walter Mosely’s books about ‘Easy’ Rawlins, the South Central Los Angeles private eye,” Lowman wrote. The first series is about a black militant urban fiction hero, Kenyatta, during the 1970s. Other literary references include Ellison’s Invisible Man and mention of writer Ta-Nehisi Coates, a journalist who also began writing the current, incredibly popular and critically well-received Black Panther series for Marvel.

Have you watched Marvel’s Luke Cage? How do you think it handles current events topics? Tell us what you think in the comments.

]]>http://blog.questia.com/2016/10/research-topic-netflixs-marvels-luke-cage-explores-timely-social-issues/feed/0Research paper topics: Twitter and the presidential debatehttp://blog.questia.com/2016/10/research-paper-topics-twitter-and-the-presidential-debate/
http://blog.questia.com/2016/10/research-paper-topics-twitter-and-the-presidential-debate/#respondMon, 10 Oct 2016 16:22:46 +0000http://blog.questia.com/?p=45483U.S. presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have been squaring off on Twitter since June. But Twitter played an additional role in the recent conversation between the two candidates by livestreaming the presidential debate on September 26, 2016. The debate had over 84 million viewers across the 13 networks carrying it live, according to a Nielsen tally, but for viewers who have cut the cable and only have Internet, Twitter and Facebook provided an additional arena for watching the debate.

Twitter has had a continuing impact on news reporting and politics since the social media platform debuted in 2006. How the impact of Twitter has grown and changed, how the most recent U.S. presidential candidates are using it in the current election cycle or how President Obama became known as the first “meme president” could all be interesting research paper topics for your politics or journalism classes.

Hashtags and #hashtavists

“Before Twitter, the # key was little more than something found on telephones to denote ‘number,'” wrote Dave Lee in “How Twitter changed the world, hashtag-by-hashtag” for the BBC News on November 7, 2013, just before Twitter became a publicly traded company and its influence was beginning to be truly acknowledged in the traditional media. Lee noted the platform’s effectiveness in changing business—especially when it comes to users Twitterstorming companies to push for the removal of offensive products. Twitter has also impacted the way that viewers consume sports media, interact with celebrities and even follow the Arts, not only with promotion, but also with the way that some notable Twitter users, including Hamilton creator Lin Manuel Miranda, tweet about their productions and post photos from back stage.

Hashtag activism has a varied history of effectiveness, but it certainly changes the way that issues are brought to media attention. Fundraising for charities, such as the 2014 viral #icebucketchallenge to raise money for ALS, can reach many more followers through social media, and can encourage involvement when users see their peers become actively involved. During the 2010-11 Egyptian uprisings, Twitter was credited as a key platform for protesters to share information. According to Andre Martin of the Toronto Sun, in his ominously titled “OMSBUDSMAN: Twitter powerful, but trolls could be its downfall,” posted October 1, 2016, Philip Howard of University of Washington, who led a study on the subject, reported that “evidence suggests that social media carried a cascade of messages about freedom and democracy across North Africa and the Middle East, and helped raise expectations for the success of political uprising.”

By providing users with direct access to companies, celebrities, politicians and each other, Twitter and other social media platforms have closed the gap between citizens and their representatives, or the companies they purchase goods from, or the people they idolize. It has also provided a tool for activists to reach a wider audience and to coordinate their efforts. Consider looking into these areas for your research paper topics.

Twitter and election coverage

The way that social media, including Twitter, has impacted the current U.S. political scene is also notable, and can be seen more clearly as the November election looms. “What’s happening with election coverage this year reflects a broader paradigm shift that’s been going on in media coverage since the internet became the primary way Americans get news, Mark Grabowski, associate professor of communications at Adelphi University, told Weston Williams in the Christian Science Monitor article “Twitter, Facebook to Livestream Debates: Will It Bring New Viewers?” posted September 21, 2016. With politicians directly interacting with their constituents and potential voters on Twitter, traditional media often covers not the breaking news, but the reactions of Twitter users to what their candidates have said—or what the candidates have said to each other.

But one problem with the way that Twitter users view their feeds is that they often follow users with similar opinions, making it seem as though their own opinions are the dominant ones, and possibly giving them a false sense of public opinion. In an election as divided as the one between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, assuming that one set of opinions is dominant is likely to give users a false sense of their candidate’s sway. For your research paper topics, you could look into the way the media has changed to follow news broken on Twitter or the dangers of the “filter bubble” that Twitter and other social media create.

Did you watch the presidential debate on Twitter? How did you feel the platform handled it? Let us know how you felt in the comments.

]]>http://blog.questia.com/2016/10/research-paper-topics-twitter-and-the-presidential-debate/feed/0Privatization pros and cons research paper topicshttp://blog.questia.com/2016/10/privatization-pros-and-cons-research-paper-topics/
http://blog.questia.com/2016/10/privatization-pros-and-cons-research-paper-topics/#respondFri, 07 Oct 2016 16:22:04 +0000http://blog.questia.com/?p=45473Privatization is when a business operation uses privately owned funds, compared to a public company that uses investors’ money traded on a stock exchange. Many services and industries are privatized, such as private prisons, education, healthcare and utilities.

Good research paper topics are to write about the pros and cons of privatization.

The privatization debate

The debate rages on whether privatization is beneficial or not. Some say privatization opens up the free market system, is more efficient, and reduces the size of government. Others say that the government should be in charge of certain services, like infrastructure, Social Security, Medicare and education. In other parts of the world, there is little to no privatization, where the government runs industry, banks and healthcare.

The 1980s and 1990s saw a spate of privatization of utilities, education, prisons, transportation and telecommunications. However, today, city and state governments are questioning the benefits of privatization. According to Molly Ball in “The Privatization Backlash,” posted in The Atlantic April 23, 2014, “In states and cities across the country, lawmakers are expressing new skepticism about privatization, imposing new conditions on government contracting, and demanding more oversight. Laws to reign in contractors have been introduced in 18 states this year.”

Privatization of American prisons

A timely issue of great concern is the privatization of prisons in America. Some prisons are run by billion-dollar for-profit corporations, rather than the states or federal government. Some people say that putting prisoners in prison should not be a money-making operation, which could lead to corruption and unfair sentencing practices, such as mandatory minimum sentencing that creates more inmates. The Obama administration will phase out use of private, for-profit prisons for federal inmates. The state prison system is encouraged to follow suit.

Deputy attorney general Sally Q. Yates wrote a memo to the federal Bureau of Prisons saying that private prisons “compare poorly to our own bureau facilities… do not save substantially on costs,” and they provide fewer rehabilitative services, like educational programs and job training, that are “essential to reducing recidivism and improving public safety,” reported in “U.S. to Phase Out Use of Private Prisons for Federal Inmates,” by Charlie Savage posted in New York Times August 18, 2016. Private prisons are more violent, have more lockdowns and discover more contraband than non-private prisons. Privatization proponents say that private prisons cost less per inmate, and house more violent inmates, which is why there are more reports of violence.

Privatization of water

Another topic for a term paper is to discuss the pros and cons of privatization of water resources. In the developing world, access to clean portable water is of great concern, and there are various points of view and approaches as to how best to solve the problem. Some big organizations, such as the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank believe that privatization of water management and distribution is a viable solution because it will improve efficiency, water will be priced according to market forces, and people will be forced to be less wasteful.

On the other hand, Indian environmental activist and author of Earth Democracy, Vandana Shiva, is against privatization by transnational corporations. She believes in local economic development and democratic control over food and water. “She is highly critical of privatization and commodification of public goods, such as water and basic foods, through international patents because it excludes the poor, creates new enclosures and further deprives the marginalized,” wrote Srini Sitaraman in “Privatization, Efficiency, Gender, Development, and Inequality—Transnational Conflicts over Access to Water and Sanitation,” in Human Rights & Human Welfare, Annual 2008.

Banned Books Week scavenger hunt

You could write your term paper on the various ways libraries and free speech groups celebrate Banned Books Week. For example, this year, the Washington, DC Public Library hosted a scavenger hunt for patrons to scour local shops, cafes and bookstores to find books wrapped in black paper with white lettering of titles like “Smut,” “Filthy,” “Trashy” or other words that were used to describe books when someone tried to ban them. The once-banned The Catcher in the Rye was titled “Anti-white,” A Separate Peace by John Knowles was labeled “Filthy Trashy Sex Novel” and Native Son by Richard Wright was called “Profane and Sexually Explicit.”

“In Banned Books Scavenger Hunt, The Prize Is Literary ‘Smut’,” at NPR.org, September 15, 2016, Lynn Neary wrote that “The whole idea for the hunt was motivated by the desire to have more of the public involved in Banned Books Week, … says Linnea Hegarty, executive director of the D.C. Public Library Foundation… When books are banned, their supporters disguise them and circulate them surreptitiously, she says, and the idea was to capture that spirit.”

Censorship and political correctness

An interesting term paper topic is to write about the role of political correctness in censorship. Jack Ohman, a political cartoonist who received the Pulitzer Prize in 2016, participated in Banned Books Week at the Eugene, Oregon Public Library. Concerned with free speech rights, he commented that there are two categories of political correctness, often used as a reason to censor people.

The first: “I think (conservatives) use the phrase ‘political correctness’ as some sort of longing to be able to tell jokes about women, blacks, Jews, Muslims without consequences,” as if they were at a 1950s dinner party, reported in “A Pen Finely Honed,” by Francesca Fontana, posted in the Register Guard, September 18, 2016. The second, on the liberal end of the spectrum, Ohman said, “People are shutting themselves off from ideas that they don’t agree with…Just because you don’t agree with somebody doesn’t mean you need to be in a safe zone so your virgin ears don’t hear (it).”

Banned LGBTQ books in Texas

Another good topic for a term paper is to write about banned children’s books. The Kid’s Right to Read Project led a coalition of free speech groups to defend two books – Gayle Pitman’s This Day in June and Cheryl Kilodavis’ My Princess Boy – which a few vocal protesters tried to ban from the children’s section of the Hood County, Texas library, claiming the books were promoting a perverted lifestyle to children. The free speech groups said that removing the books, which were constitutionally protected information, would send a negative message to LGBTQ members of the community.

Pitman received threats of violence against her and against LGBTQ people. After members of the free speech groups spoke in favor of the books, the county commissioners decided to leave the books where they were. Pitman said: “[Books] about LGBT people continue to be challenged throughout the United States. Why? Because the most powerful way you can marginalize and disempower a group is to erase them – literally or metaphorically – from existence. That’s what book banning – and censorship in general – is all about,” posted in “Author Shares Cautionary Tale of Censorship for Banned Books Week,” by Caitlin McCabe at Comic Books Legal Defense Fund, September 27, 2016.

What’s your opinion on banned books and censorship? Let us know what you think in the comments.

]]>http://blog.questia.com/2016/10/banned-books-week-research-paper-topics/feed/0Prescription drugs: Opioid drugs and rise in drug prices as research topicshttp://blog.questia.com/2016/09/prescription-drugs-opioid-drugs-and-rise-in-drug-prices-as-research-topics/
http://blog.questia.com/2016/09/prescription-drugs-opioid-drugs-and-rise-in-drug-prices-as-research-topics/#respondWed, 28 Sep 2016 16:18:44 +0000http://blog.questia.com/?p=45439There are a lot of term paper topics on prescription drugs. You can write your research paper on the rise of prescription drug abuse and oxycodone addiction.

Other good research topics are the rise in drug prices, often hundreds of percent, and their consequences.

Rise in opioid addiction

A timely topic on prescription drugs is the devastating opioid addiction crisis. The prescribing and sales of opioid-based pain killers has quadrupled since 1999, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The National Survey on Drug Use found that 119 Americans (or 45% of the U.S. population) take prescription painkillers, tranquilizers, stimulants or sedatives; and 16% of prescription drug use was misused. More than 40 Americans die each day from opioid overdoses.

In a presentation to the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control, Nora D. Volkow, MD, of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, said that 2.1 million Americans suffer from disorders related to prescription opioid pain relievers. The United States is the world’s biggest consumer of prescription opioids like hydrocodone and oxycodone.

“Several factors are likely to have contributed to the severity of the current prescription drug abuse problem. They include drastic increases in the number of prescriptions written and dispensed, greater social acceptability for using medications for different purposes, and aggressive marketing by pharmaceutical companies,” said Volkow in “American’s Addiction to Opioids: Heroin and Prescription Drug Abuse” at the National Institute of Drug Abuse.

Response to drug abuse

You can write your term paper on various responses to the prescription drug abuse problem. One response is the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s “CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain.” The guidelines offer advice to health care providers when prescribing opioids. The guidelines suggest use of non-opioid pain relievers, when to start patients on opioids, whether to continue patients on opioids, using lower doses of opioids, and monitoring patients on opioids.

“For two decades, providers have been encouraged to treat chronic pain with opioids, often without enough training or support,” said Debra Houry, MD, MPH, director of CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, in “National Pain Strategy, CDC Opioid Prescribing Guide Help Providers,” by Lindsey Wahowiak in The National’s Health July 2016. “With an under-recognition of the risks of opioids and limited evidence of benefits of their long-term use for chronic pain, many providers have expressed growing concerns about prescription opioid misuse and patient addiction,” said Houry.

Increase in EpiPen prices

Another topic on prescription drugs is the hundreds of percent price increases drug companies are charging for essential, life-saving drugs. One example is Mylan Pharmaceutical, which has raised the prices of 24 of its products more than 20%, and 100% on seven products. One product is the allergy medication EpiPen, which provides epinephrine to people suffering serious anaphylaxis. Since acquiring Merck KGaA in 2007 and the rights to sell its EpiPen product, Mylan has raised the price of the medication from $56 per dose to $317, an increase of 461%. Over the same nine years, the salary of Mylan CEO Heather Bresch has increased 671%. EpiPen is often used in schools for children suffering from allergies.

Although some lawmakers have decried the price hike, Citigroup analysts Liav Abraham and Eugene Kim said there is “little regulatory action that can be implemented to compel Mylan to lower the price of EpiPen,” wrote Jana Kasperkevic and Amanda Holpuch in “EpiPen CEO hiked prices on two dozen products and got a 671% pay raise,” in The Guardian, August 24, 2016. Nevertheless, New York attorney general Eric Schneiderman has launched an investigation into Mylan. The company’s sales contract with local school systems for EpiPen supplies may have included potentially anti-competitive terms and violated anti-trust laws, according to Schneiderman.